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“How the hell did he get you? You’re fucking hot.” He winces. “But don’t tell him I said that.”
Corey arches her brow and nods toward the man. “That’s Jeremiah. He clearly has no manners.”
He smiles widely, flashing his straight white teeth. “Nice to meet you.”
“You, too,” I reply, looking between them both. All I’m hearing from them is a whole lot of “don’t tell River” comments, which means they must not want to upset him or get on his bad side. What exactly is his bad side? “And don’t worry, I won’t tell River that you think I’m fucking hot, or that you all questioned whether I even existed to begin with.”
“That would be wonderful,” Jeremiah says, smirking. He runs a hand through his light, almost white-blond hair and turns his green eyes to Corey. “Get me a beer, would you?”
“Get it yourself,” she responds, her cheerful tone contradicting her words.
He sighs and does just that, while Corey and I take a seat at the dining table.
“What are the men in the Angels MC like?” she asks, a contemplative expression on her face. “I mean, I know the MCs are considered one now, but I still don’t see many of the men. It’s not like they’re walking into our clubhouse unless there’s a party going on or something.”
“Why do you want to know? You want to be matched up?” I ask, amusement in my tone. I open the cap of the soda and take a sip.
Jeremiah makes a choking sound. “Yeah, maybe don’t do that. Unless you want River to kill one of them.”
Corey rolls her eyes. “Do you see what I have to deal with? I can’t even talk about dating someone around here. Maybe the Angels will be different.”
“They won’t be. They are still men, and bikers,” he comments.
“So you don’t want to be hooked up, then,” I tease, smirking.
Okay, so River is very protective of his sister. Knowing him, I’m not surprised at all. He’s the exact same with me. And I can understand why, especially in the world we live in. Men take advantage if they can, and seem to have the upper hand and all the power. That’s why I love that Julianna has stepped up to lead us. Yes, alongside Romeo, but she’s the one I’d go to if I had a problem. She’s strong and capable and has Romeo at her back.
And I’m here for it.
“No, I just want to know if all bikers are the same, I guess,” Corey grumbles, bringing me back to the conversation. Jeremiah leaves the kitchen with a handful of beers.
“I don’t think so. I’ve never met anyone like River before,” I admit with a fond smile.
Yeah, he can be a lot. But he’s mine, and I love every second of being with him.
Her eyes widen. “I don’t know if the world could handle more than one River. I love him, I do, but he’s...” She trails off, studying me. “How did you get him to commit to you? You must be very good in bed.”
I choke on my drink.
“I just mean you tamed the beast, somehow. He’s never openly dated anyone that I’ve seen. So you must be very special,” she corrects, blushing. “Sometimes I say things without thinking.”
A gentle smile escapes me. Julianna told me about Corey, and how she and River lost their other brother, Matthew, at the hands of the Angels MC, before the Angels and the Devils MC united. It’s nice to see that she’s joking and smiling, because Julianna said she was in a dark place as she was grieving the loss. I know River was grieving, too; he just happens to hide it a lot better, along with everything else. He doesn’t like to show any weakness.
“Well, I like your lack of filter,” I reply, winking at her. “I wish that everyone just said what they were thinking.”
Her eyes flash. “Yeah, I don’t know about that. People don’t want to know some things. It makes them uncomfortable.”
I notice her fiddling with the cuff of her cardigan, and my eyes are drawn to her wrist. She pulls the material up to her palm, but I still get a glimpse of the scars there. At some point, or even now, she’s been cutting herself. I want to reach out to her and comfort her, but I don’t know how well she’d take that from a stranger.
“The right people will want to know all the things, the light and the dark,” I say, smiling sadly at her. “Especially the dark, because that’s when you need your friends and family the most.”
She nods slowly, a contemplative expression on her face. “You’re very nice, Bella.”
“Thank you.”
“Can I give you some advice?” she asks, staring straight into my soul.
“Um...sure?”
